Actress questions Emmy minority treatment

Regina King: 'Emmys as white as ever'

Actress Regina King ("Southland") is taking a stand on the under-representation of minorities at the Emmys.

In "The Emmys: As White As Ever" on the HuffintonPost.com, she wrote that "it is impossible for me to ignore the published statistics regarding the number of people of color mentioned, celebrated or honored in the history of the televised Emmys."

Up to and including this year, there have been only 53 non-white actors nominated for Emmys out of nearly 1,000 possible nominations in the top four acting categories. "I've worked in television nearly all of my professional life, and that statistic is quite sobering to me," King wrote. "And to add injury to my already sensitive nerve endings a picture of Rutina Wesley from 'True Blood,' who attended this year's Emmys, had a caption that read: "Regina King enters the 62nd Emmys"." King wasn't at the ceremony.

The actress also lamented that Alaina Reed Hall, who was an actress on "Sesame Street" for 12 years, wasn't included in this year's Emmys memoriam.

"To not recognize her contribution to television baffles the mind," King said.

She concluded by asking what she said was an essential question for any TV artist: "What is the process in determining who will and will not be recognized during the Emmy memoriam?"